CSC 480 Capstone Project

Spring 2010

Dr. Stephen Bloch
203 Post Hall
516-877-4483
sbloch@adelphi.edu
Web page www.adelphi.edu/sbloch
Class Web page www.adelphi.edu/sbloch/class/480
Office hours M 1:00-4:00, TTh 12:00-3:00
Class meetings MWF 12:00-12:50 PM
January 25, 2010

Prerequisites:

senior standing; open only to CSC and CMIS majors.

Course description:

This "capstone" course requires students to apply their classroom work to one or more substantial real-world problems, typically through teams of students researching, proposing, designing, implementing, and reporting on solutions to specific information systems problems. This course requires completion of a major computer science project (involving approximately 15 hrs/week of work). Students may find their own project, within or outside the school; otherwise a project will be assigned.

To help the University measure how well its General Education program is working, Adelphi professors from a variety of departments may read sample projects from this course after the course ends. They won't see your name, and the results will have no effect on your grade.

Tentative Schedule

• Weeks 1-2: Choose projects; form teams; write project proposal and have it accepted by professor
• Weeks 2-3: Requirements analysis; write detailed requirements document.
• Week 4: Plan what features to implement in what order; outline sequence of versions.
• Weeks 5-12: Design and implement product, as a sequence of successively more-powerful versions, starting with a "prototype".
  Each version must have a behavioral specification, user's manual, testing plan, design, implementation, test results, and development log.
• Weeks 7-8: Oral presentations to the rest of the class, with demonstration of the prototype.
• Weeks 13-15: If possible, deliver product to actual end-users. Support installation, training, and bug fixes (if necessary, but plan to finish debugging before this point). If there are no end users outside of class, I will play the role of end-user. Finally, we will perform a "code walk-through" (or analogue, in non-software-development projects) one-on-one with the instructor; if you are working as part of a team, you are still responsible for understanding those parts completed by your partner(s).

Grading / Deliverables

• 5% Project proposal (due by Feb. 5)
• 10% Requirements document (due by Feb. 12)
• 10% Outline of versions (due by Feb. 19)
• 10% Oral presentation and demo of prototype (due by Mar. 26, but I'd like to get some of these done before spring break, i.e. by Mar. 12)
• 10% Weekly submission of progress reports
• 25% For each version,
  • - Behavioral specification
  • - User's manual
  • - Testing plan
  • - Design (e.g. UML diagrams, discussion of issues, evaluation of alternative solutions)
  • - Implementation
  • - Test results
  • - Development log
• 10% Demo of final version
• 10% Code walk-through of final version
• 5% Critical self-reflection (what was learned, personal strengths and
• weaknesses, connections to prior experience and goals).
• 5% References (e.g. course materials, textbooks, reliable online sources)

Readings:

Readings as necessary to complete the project. This may involve consulting previous course materials, textbooks, the library, and reliable online sources.

Special Accommodations:

According to the University Statement on Accommodations or Adaptations Needed: If you are a qualified student with a disability seeking accommodations under the Americans with Disability Act, you are required to self-identify with the Office of Disability Services, 3rd floor, University Center. Please see me as soon as possible for special arrangements, seating and other accommodations if necessary.

Integrity and Academic Honesty:

Integrity is a crucial part both of the academic experience and of professional conduct (especially relevant to this course, your gateway to the professional world). I expect you to be honest with me in all conversations and discussions and to treat me and fellow students with respect. You also must observe the University Academic Integrity Policy: academics.adelphi.edu/policies/honesty.php. You must always do your own work, and you may never plagiarize or cheat on tests or papers. Follow the guidelines in this syllabus and any others provided during the semester. Unless otherwise specified (e.g. team project), all work you turn in must be completed by you. Failure to do so could lead to an "F" in the course and even expulsion from the University. By taking the course and by attending Adelphi University, you agree to these conditions - please see me at any time with questions.

In the interest of full disclosure and academic honesty, this syllabus is mostly copied (with permission) from Dr. Chays's syllabus for the same course, Spring 2009.